***Official Houston Astros 2022-23 Offseason Thread***
1,101,976 Views |
12340 Replies |
Last: 1 yr ago by Beat40
Farmer1906 said:Athletics To Sign Aledmys Diaz https://t.co/SzUC280iEd pic.twitter.com/mvgYZMrxsv
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) December 7, 2022
From World Series champ to Oakland. Ouch. That's like going from heaven to baseball purgatory.
I call BS on the Padres making these huge offers and getting turned down. The Union is very strict about this. You don't turn down an extra $40MM.
They made big waves at the trade deadline and eventually upset the mighty Dodgers. Possible dots to connect.Mathguy64 said:
I call BS on the Padres making these huge offers and getting turned down. The Union is very strict about this. You don't turn down an extra $40MM.
Losing a 2nd rounder was another issue for sure.FrioAg 00 said:
At that price on Contreras, I'd rather pick up another rental after the ASB like we did this year.
Source: The Mets acquired lefthanded reliever Brooks Raley from the Rays for minor-league pitcher Keyshawn Askew, as @JonHeyman said.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) December 7, 2022
Father Time is undefeated. The question is when not if. The Yankees made a large gamble on the back half of this contract. Only time will tell if it was worth it.
Just now on 790, Chandler says if the Astros sign a catcher, Maldy is likely to get traded.
What trade value does Maldy bring? What happened to the unquestioned pitch caller extraordinaire?
Yea it would seem like an odd move to me if they did that.
If true that seems really dumb. He's way more valuable even as a bench/backup catcher than he is as a trade piece. His trade value is incredibly low.
Are trade rumors the reason Maldy posted his cryptic IG story yesterday?
AARON JUDGE IS STAYING! pic.twitter.com/iWPADxKa44
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) December 7, 2022
I haven't heard anything official on this
No matter what!
Epstein didn't do, you know, the thing...
I'm the rare Astros/Cowboys/Spurs fan. We do exist
Epstein didn't do, you know, the thing...
I'm the rare Astros/Cowboys/Spurs fan. We do exist
there is no "they are strict about this" there are no repercussions from signing where you wantMathguy64 said:
I call BS on the Padres making these huge offers and getting turned down. The Union is very strict about this. You don't turn down an extra $40MM.
It's never really clear to me on those distances. Is it where it landed or a projected distance if the flight wasn't obstructed? If it's the latter, then no way that ball was only 450.
I wouldn't be surprised. I doubt he'd post "how quickly they forget" about some stupid fan trolls.k20dub said:
Are trade rumors the reason Maldy posted his cryptic IG story yesterday?
My guess is that Vazquez won't sign with the Astros unless he's the starter, so we probably approached Maldy and asked if he's ok with backup duties. Maldy probly took it personally and said no... with the presumption that he still sees himself as a starter.
That puts us in a position where it's one or the other. As much as I love me some Maldy and appreciate everything he's done for us behind the plate, we gotta go with Vazquez if that's the case. He's four years younger and can carry our pitching staff through the next phase of our window 2023-25. He can also get on base with reasonable regularity.
Maldy's days as an everyday catcher are obviously numbered. It would suck to have to deal him in a hasty way like that but if that's the situation, we gotta make the tough decision and move on.
EastCoastAgNc said:
Just now on 790, Chandler says if the Astros sign a catcher, Maldy is likely to get traded.
Not sure I believe this.
If they want to add depth trading Maldy doesn't accomplish that as Lee or Diaz would be a backup same as if Maldy was here.
My post before assumes that the rumor is true. It may not be.
I will say that 790 interview Chandler is much more thoughtful and less likely to troll than Twitter Chandler. So there's reason to believe.
I will say that 790 interview Chandler is much more thoughtful and less likely to troll than Twitter Chandler. So there's reason to believe.
OK...Yeah I'm with you. That makes sense.
Trade Maldy, sign Vasquez, and you get younger and better, and add a lotto ticket to the farm.
Trade Maldy, sign Vasquez, and you get younger and better, and add a lotto ticket to the farm.
"The Astros continue to look at free agents Andrew Benintendi, Michael Brantley and Michael Conforto as options for their outfield. After losing out on Contreras, they might even explore signing two of the three."
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) December 7, 2022
Per @Ken_Rosenthal
OKCAg2002 said:
It's never really clear to me on those distances. Is it where it landed or a projected distance if the flight wasn't obstructed? If it's the latter, then no way that ball was only 450.
I feel like John Smoltz said on the broadcast that is like someone hitting a ball 500 feet down the line. There has to be some sort of formula out there that accounts for the velocity a ball leaves the bat at, how rapidly it decelerate, and how many feet per second it travels as it loses velocity. You would have to factor in the angle of its trajectory and how high up it was when it hit. Not sure anyone other than a surveyor or someone who works at Minute Maid could figure that part out
link?
To what?
Deluxe said:"The Astros continue to look at free agents Andrew Benintendi, Michael Brantley and Michael Conforto as options for their outfield. After losing out on Contreras, they might even explore signing two of the three."
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) December 7, 2022
Per @Ken_Rosenthal
Brantley would have to be 1 of the 2. The decision on him won't be until March.
I'm all for adding good players, but it would create some redundancy to have 4 LHH for 3 positions. You'd want to be able to use all 4 at time when facing a RHP.
Deluxe said:
To what?
The interview on 790. We're you listing live?
I was replying to EastCoast's post above
I'm just trying to listen to the Rome interview y'all are referencing.
I just checked the 790 website but don't see it posted yet. Maybe it's on the iHeart app.
EastCoastAgNc said:Farmer1906 said:
link?— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) December 7, 2022
Quote:
The Dodgers are not pursuing shortstop Carlos Correa in part out of concern that a sizable portion of their fan base would not welcome the move. Correa was the most outspoken member of the 2017 Astros club that stole signs illegally during the postseason, and beat the Dodgers in a seven-game World Series.
The distaste Dodgers fans harbor for Correa, is not the only reason the club is reluctant to engage with him or for that matter, any of the other more expensive players on the free-agent market.
As the Dodgers wait to learn whether Major League Baseball will uphold Trevor Bauer's two-year suspension for violating the league's policy on sexual assault and domestic violence, club officials are uncertain how much back pay, if any, they will owe the pitcher.
Bauer stands to lose $60 million in salary. If his suspension is upheld, the Dodgers will not owe him anything. But if the suspension is overturned or reduced, the Dodgers as a third-time luxury-tax offender would be assessed penalties on top of his salary. As noted by the Los Angeles Times, the team's total payout could exceed $100 million.
The wide range of possible outcomes is one reason the Dodgers are planning to incorporate a number of young, minimum-salary-type players this season. They want to add a modestly priced starting pitcher, an affordable center fielder such as Kevin Kiermaier and a middle-of-the-order bat J.D. Martinez would make sense, though a left-handed hitter might be a better fit. But the Dodgers are unlikely to spend big, especially when they know the market next offseason might include two players they covet two-way Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani and Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, if he is posted by his Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines.
So, where might Correa land? The Twins still want him. The Giants are perhaps the most obvious fit now that they have lost Aaron Judge to the Yankees. But with Xander Bogaerts reportedly close to returning to the Red Sox, the Padres cannot be dismissed.
The Padres tried for Trea Turner, met with Judge and pursued Bogaerts. They clearly have $300 million-plus to burn, perhaps $350 million-plus (no, they did not offer $400 million to Judge). They could spread that money around to build necessary depth. Or they could become a factor for a big-name free agent such as Correa or Kodai Senga. Brandon Nimmo would be less of a consideration, with the Padres likely to go with an outfield of Fernando Tatis Jr., Trent Grisham and Juan Soto.
The idea of the Cubs adding both Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson was always far-fetched. The addition of two prominent infielders worked for the Rangers last offseason in part because both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien were Scott Boras clients. But with Bogaerts represented by Boras and Swanson by Excel two different agencies it was much more difficult to coordinate two such signings.
The Cubs view Swanson as perhaps their most realistic target at shortstop, assuming they don't go big for Correa.
Agents believe it is no coincidence that arguably three of the most prominent starting pitchers remaining on the free-agent market Carlos Rodn, Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Bassitt are all weighed down by qualifying offers.
Teams when pricing such pitchers factor in the cost of losing draft picks and international bonus pool space. The qualifying-offer system remained intact when the players' union rejected the league's final offer for an international draft. The union viewed the international draft as too big an item to trade for the elimination of draft-pick compensation, which affects only a handful of free agents each year.
Right-hander Seth Lugo is drawing interest as both a starter and reliever, with the Angels, Dodgers, Padres and Nationals among the teams showing at least some interest in adding him to their rotations.
Lugo, 33, pitched regularly as a starter in 2017 and periodically in 2016, 2018 and 2020. He has never thrown more than 101 1/3 innings in a season, making his endurance a question. One executive, however, believes Lugo should indeed pursue a starting job on a one-year deal, then hit the market again next offseason after a full season in the role.
That way, the executive said, Lugo could break out of reliever salaries in the $6 million to $8 million range and become a starter at the $10 million to $14 million level.
The Cardinals' agreement with Willson Contreras on a five-year, $87.5 million contract might accelerate the market for free-agent catchers, which also includes Christian Vzquez, Mike Zunino and Tucker Barnhart.
The market has moved slowly in part because the A's are entertaining trade offers for Sean Murphy and the Blue Jays are willing to move one of Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk and Gabriel Moreno.
Teams will examine Zunino carefully as he continues his recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery on July 28. The Red Sox, Pirates, Royals, Twins, Guardians and Astros are among the teams with varying levels of interest in catchers.
And finally, the Astros continue to look at free agents Andrew Benintendi, Michael Brantley and Michael Conforto as options for their outfield. After losing out on Contreras, they might even explore signing two of the three.
Farmer1906 said:
I'm just trying to listen to the Rome interview y'all are referencing.
Usually they don't post the interviews until later. I'll look for it tonight and post the link if I can find it
Quote:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/astros/article/Astros-off-board-Willson-Contreras-Cardinals-17637970.php
The Astros made at least one three-year offer to Contreras, according to a person with knowledge of the team's discussions. It's unclear whether the Astros broached a fourth year or had any inclination to include a fifth, but their interest in Contreras was strong.
Signing another catcher may portend a trade of Maldonado, who a crucial part of Houston's clubhouse chemistry and one of the team's foremost leaders, to clear a spot for Lee or Diaz to develop.
Christian Vzquez, whom Houston traded for last August after Crane nixed the Contreras deal, is now the best available catcher on the free-agent market. Contreras' five-year deal delivered a benchmark for him to gauge his worth. Vzquez is two years older than Contreras and nowhere near the offensive threat. If the Astros have interest in a reunion, they are far from Vzquez's only suitor. Other teams more desperate for catching may present more compelling deals.
Multiple people familiar with the Astros' situation said there is mutual interest in two-time Gold Glover Tucker Barnhart, who would solve another of Houston's winter needs. Barnhart bats lefthanded, sorely needed balance for a lineup that's too righthanded. Barnhart has a preexisting relationship with Baker, for whom he played in Cincinnati, and is thought to want a two-year deal.
A report on Monday afternoon from MLB.com threw the Astros into the sweepstakes for Oakland A's catcher Sean Murphy, who is widely expected to be traded this winter. Barnhart is under club control through 2025 and will command a huge return from whichever team acquires him. Whether Houston has enough to lure him is a mystery. Whether Crane feels it necessary to do so is another.
That has to be a typo at the end. Barnhart will be cheap. Murphy is expensive.
Disturbing footage: RHP Trevor Bauer was viscously attacked by a dog this morning outside his Los Angeles residence. Prayers for a quick recovery 🙏 pic.twitter.com/NDDp7J3jXq
— Baseball Memes (@MLB_Memes7) December 7, 2022
Not astros related, but who cares...always a good day to trash this clown
Featured Stories
See All
19:50
4h ago
4.0k
6:27
2h ago
1.2k
Transfer Gavin Kash ready for his Texas A&M debut on Friday night
by Ryan Brauninger
14:59
1h ago
713
Keys to the Game: No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Georgia
by Luke Evangelist